Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread
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I love shortbread.
How's that for a ground-breaking introductory sentence from an award-winning writer? This recipe (or this writeup anyway) may not exactly be my one-way-ticket to the Pulitzer shortlist, I really do feel like my affection for shortbread can't really be over-stated, and I'm very excited to share it with you today. Shortbread is some kind of cookie magic - at least in my mind. It's fantastically simple stuff, but it's delicious and satisfying in a way that's almost unrivaled in baking. There are those who would argue that shortbread is too dry, or too simple, but I think it kind of misses the point - shortbread is all about simplicity. You're tasting the butter, the flour, and the sugar. It's a reminder of the transformative, almost alchemical nature of good baking. There's no artifice, no smoke and mirrors - just good ingredients mixed in a simple ratio, popped into a hot oven, and turned into something truly wonderful and timeless.
And while I will never say no to a basic shortbread, that clean, simple palate is also a perfect backdrop for a little bit of experimenting. I've lost track of the various shortbread iterations that I've undertaken over the years but I've slowly been building up something of an arsenal of cookie recipes (which is definitely the only form of arsenal proliferation I'm on board with). Back in 2016 I posted my first shortbread variation (Cranberry Shortbread with White Chocolate and Pistachios) and took the opportunity to explore the on-again off-again relationship that I have with the Christmas season. I won't repeat myself too much here (basic summary: family, food and friends = good, crass commercialism and cranky people = bad), but I will say that I really grew attached to the idea of sharing a shortbread recipe with you all around the holidays. So (while I missed 2017), let's call this a tradition.
Sadly I can't ACTUALLY share any cookies with you. Oh, if only. Imagine how my social media numbers would explode! #cookiedownload would never stop trending. I've also decided that, best intentions aside, I probably shouldn't wander around the shopping mall with a plate of shortbread while offering them to shoppers and employees in an effort to jam some Christmas spirit into the nooks and crannies of the weary and shopped-out winter masses. As a former retail worker myself (ahh, those weren't the days) the desire to do this is very real. Sometimes it's all just a little much, this Christmas shopping nonsense. Otherwise-sane, sensible people seem to be stretched a little too thin by the chaos and confusion. And then there are the less-sensible people. They are... well they're out in force right now, aren't they? Just imagine escaping it all for a moment to clear your mind and fill your belly with a homemade holiday panacea! I would just love to wander the mall dispensing shortbread salvation to the people who need it most:
Hello pedestrian who was just about run over in the mall parking lot! You look like you could use a cookie. Have at it.
That line up for Santa Claus pictures sure does look a little daunting, doesn't it? A cookie will buy you a good 2-3 minutes. They're homemade. Go ahead. No icing or anything, so that little velvet dress on your 4 year old should make it to the front of the line relatively intact.
Excuse me, young retail employee hiding for an extra 30 seconds in the back room to get away from that lady with an armful of returns from three seasons ago - you need some shortbread.
Why, look at you, shopping with three kids who would clearly rather be anywhere else! Don't tear your hair out. Have some cookies. You know what, take... take extra. Take the plate.
My goodness, you look a little frazzled ma'am. You need two things: one, the game your grandson wants is called Fortnite. I know his mother said Fork Knife. It's... it's not actually called that... you know what, it's difficult to explain. Just call your grandson and ask him what platform he plays on. Write that down then get in and out of that store as fast as possible. Second, you need a cookie. Enjoy.
Ahh, if only. I'm certainly fond of feeding strangers, but my shortbread-sharing dreams are probably best left at that. I mean, nuts, dairy, wheat... some random dude dispensing sweet treats from store to store.... It would really only be a matter of time before suspicious and/or liability-minded security guards converged. I bet they'd like some shortbread.
What I CAN do is share the recipe and all of the tips and tricks so that you can enjoy this at home. It's my gift to you all, I suppose. And while I'd much rather be able to pop by your door with a plate of cookies and a smile on my face, it still feels pretty darned good to know that something I've created is out there in the world making people happy. At the risk of sounding overly sentimental (oh well, tis the season and all that), that's a gift that I get to enjoy. There's something wonderfully heart-warming about knowing that somewhere out there in the world these cookies might be baking in somebody's oven, ready to brighten the day of people I've never even met.
Recipe Notes
There's not much to making these - they're delightfully simple cookies and they don't require anything complex in terms of ingredients or techniques. That being said, shortbread dough can seem a little funny if you're new to making it, so I've got a couple of tips to help you along the way, plus a bit of info about how to handle the hazelnut component of this recipe.
The Spread That Shall Not Be Used
I think one reason that I like shortbread variations so much is that they get to focus on the flavours in a way that's more akin to cooking, rather than baking; you're trying to create something that's bold, distinctive and memorable without substantially changing the sugar/salt/fat aspects of the recipe. Chocolate and hazelnut are superb additions to a basic shortbread, but I chose to go about adding them in a very specific way.
Chocolate and hazelnut is a phenomenal combination, and I'm certainly not the only one who thinks that. After all, Nutella is a thing. A BIG thing. Ferrero (the company that makes Nutella) uses 25% of the world's supply of hazelnuts. Let that sink in for a moment. But Diversivore is and always will be dedicated to scratch cooking (and baking), and Nutella definitely doesn't fit that bill. It's based on classic Italian gianduja, but the modern store-bought spread is mostly sugar and palm (or vegetable) oil. It would be easy enough to stir Nutella into a batch of cookie dough or to ice the tops with a dollop of the famous spread, but I think you're doing yourself a disservice. Shortbread itself is the source of all of the sugar and fat you need (and those two ingredients are definitely well-represented) - the added ingredients should be big on flavour, rather than big on calories. To that end we're using cocoa powder (which has lots of chocolate flavour but no sweetness) and hazelnuts alone. The resulting cookie really exemplifies those flavours without being weighed down in added sugar.
Chocolate & Hazelnuts
Choose a good cocoa powder. The selection in stores is often a little limited, but if you're big on baking I do suggest you shop around to find the cocoa powder you like best. I won't get into the complexities of Dutch process vs natural cocoa powders and the other intricacies of the ingredient here - instead I'd encourage you to read this wonderful article at Cooks Illustrated. There's no leavening going on in this recipe, so the acidity and general baking chemistry of the cocoa powder won't play a big roll. And hey, finding the variety you like the most will involve the baking of many, many delicious treats, so... win win.
The recipe uses hazelnuts in two ways, and it's important that you use fresh, flavourful hazelnuts. Like most nuts, hazelnuts can get stale or even rancid if stored poorly or sold past their prime. Make sure to taste a few before you bake with them.
You'll be turning some of the the hazelnuts into a fine powder (almost a flour) and some into small pieces for the cookies. You can go about this in a number of ways, but you're probably going to want a food processor, spice grinder, or good blender to pulverize the hazelnuts into flour. If you've got time and muscle-power on your hands you can grind them in a large mortar and pestle too. The hazelnut pieces can likewise be handled in an electric kitchen gizmo, or smashed in a durable bag with a mallet or rolling pin. Make the pieces as small as you want - I personally prefer them on the smaller side.
One quick tip - make the hazelnut flour first. You may find that a food processor can't quite convert everything into flour, leaving little chunks behind. Just sift these pieces out and use them as part of your mixed-in hazelnut pieces. Don't be tempted to run the food processor too long to break them up, as you may end up making hazelnut butter instead. Tasty, but not what we're going for here.
If you don't have a food processor or related piece of equipment but you do have access to hazelnut flour you can swap that into the recipe instead. Do make sure to keep the smashed hazelnut bits in your version though!
Note: Nutritional information is given for a single cookie.
Nutritional Summary
Hey, they're cookies! Tasty, buttery cookies. But at about 130 calories per cookie, they're actually not too indulgent. Best of all, the cocoa powder and hazelnuts add big flavour without tons of added sugar.
Hey, they're cookies. Lots of fat (including saturated fat from the butter) and sugar. But it's a treat - enjoy in moderation, and share them.
Ingredient Pages
No ingredient pages have been written yet for any of the ingredients in this recipe. Like to see one? Let me know in the comments below or by email.
Pantry Pages
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Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts or hazelnut flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup hazelnut pieces
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat and over to 350° F (175° C).
- Combine the ground hazelnuts, flour, cocoa powder and salt and stir/sift together and set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until they're well mixed. Add the vanilla and mix again.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and continue to mix until well-combined. Stir in the hazelnut pieces and mix again. The dough will generally not stay together while mixing, and will instead form many small balls or clumps.
- Form the dough into small circles and flatten into patties by hand or, for a more uniform appearance, by pressing them into a small measuring cup or circular cookie cutters.
- Space the cookies out by about 5-7 cm (2-3 inches) on a cookie-sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are a rich brown (but NOT burnt) and the centers are fairly firm. Baking time can vary depending on your oven and the colour of your baking sheet, so keep an eye on the cookies.
- Set the cookies aside to cool for about 30 minutes. You can frost the cooled cookies with a chocolate ganache if you want to get extra fancy, but they're wonderful as-is.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments
I don’t think I have met a shortbread I did not like. These would be perfect with my afternoon latte. I know for a fact they would be awesome on the holiday treat tray. The combination of flavours are delicious and addictive. I need to start adding more miles to the treadmill sessions with all the wonderful holiday baking to sample.
You and me both! Glad you like these so much – and here’s hoping that you don’t have to spend TOO much extra time burning them off this year! Haha. Hey, there’s always the mini-cookie option, right? Or maybe that just makes it easier to eat 20 in one sitting….
Sean, I really wish you’d arrive at my house… or the mall… or the gym… with a plate of these shortbread cookies. I could really use 1 or 2 or 10 right now. They look like the perfect, buttery, crumbly, chocolate, nutty diversion from this whole commercialized holiday season. Nothing against Ferrer Rocher, but Nutella has nothing on these homemade shortbread cookies. I’ll be starting my holiday baking this weekend, and this shortbread has just made the short-list of recipes. Maybe I’ll go stand outside and offer them to passers-by. You look like you could use a cookie…
Haha, well I do love to share… swing by my house some time and we’ll bake up a batch. I wonder if I’d be lauded or loathed for bringing these to the gym? Hmm…. Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I’m glad you like them so much. And maybe we can start a trend of stranger-cookie-gifting. Cheers.
What a great way to experiment with shortbread! I also love shortbread AND hazelnuts so this is like a lovechild of two of my favorite things! We’re adding this to our baking this for this week – I can’t wait to try them!
Thank you! Glad the recipe speaks to you Tracy. Cheers!
Oooooh can I join in on this shortbread Christmas tradition? Especially with these chocolate hazelnut cookies? One of my goals for 2018 was to stop purchasing food/items made with palm oil. It wasn’t that difficult, but some of my favorite treats are made with palm oil, so I had to say goodbye. Helloooooo chocolate hazelnut with no palm oil!
The more the merrier! Palm oil is something I try to avoid in most processed food too (then again I just generally try to avoid processed foods). It’s certainly a complex subject given the importance of palm oil in African cooking and some Asian cooking, but it’s definitely being over-used at this point. Working with hazelnuts and chocolate on their own is certainly more environmentally friendly, and (in my opinion) tastier in the end too!
My partner looooooves hazelnuts and loves cookies so I have a feeling I know what I’ll be making him. I totally didn’t know that the company made 25%! That’s so many hazelnuts! I haven’t seen hazelnut flour nearby so I’m going to DIY my own, might make for a good gift as well.
Well I’m glad to hear that! I hope he enjoys them. And you’re definitely right – diy hazelnut flour (and hazelnut milk) make great, albeit somewhat perishable gifts. Just store it in the fridge and you should get a good lifespan out of it!
You’re too funny! Love the commentary…and you can add me to that list of folks who could really use one of these cookies. They definitely look good and have all the tasty ingredients that I look for in a cookie. Well done!!
Hah, thanks Debra! Honestly I think the list is pretty long. Glad you like the recipe!
Ok, I’ll take some of these off your hands! What a gorgeous, simple, classic recipe. I must say, I don’t spend enough time making shortbread cookies in my life. Probably for the reasons you list as the “bad news” portion of this post LOL, but I do need to treat myself from time to time. I am adding this to my “make that” list! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
How kind of you! Haha. I’m glad you like the recipe so much. And yes, the ol’ dessert calorie count can be a reason not to make shortbread too often… or we can put a positive twist on it and say that it’s a reason to make more friends! Cheers, and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Let me start by saying that I love your blog. The writing doesn’t feel like an afterthought. There were so many lines that made me smile. I loved thinking about the parent thankful for a non-frosted cookie and your fact about Nutella was fascinating! I also try to make everything from scratch, but I do have a few exceptions (puff pastry being the most notable). Happy holidays and I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Aww, Stef, thank you so much! You made my day. While I know that sometimes we want or need to get right to the recipe (that’s why I have that jump to recipe button), I really do this because I love to write, tell stories, and share information. And for the record, I’m with you on puff pastry. Also phyllo. I definitely outsource those! Happy holidays to you too, and thanks for stopping by.
Oh man. I’m all about shortbread. It’s so easy to make, so buttery, and oh-so-delish. However, I’ve never stepped outside of the box like this when making it. Clearly I need to fix that, and this looks like the perfect recipe to do it with. I mean, who could deny chocolate and hazelnut together? (Not this Nutella lover 😉 )
I also love that this takes 30 minutes from start to finish. I just made a batch of cookie butter cookies last week and you have to chill the dough for 3 hours before you bake. This is great for when you just. want. cookies. NOW.
Kindred spirits, Dana. I mean, cookies are always good… but shortbread is so buttery and simple and perfect that I find it hard to make anything else at times. But I’m glad to know that I’ve piqued your curiosity with this variation. And nooooobody can deny chocolate and hazelnut. Nobody I want to talk to anyway. Haha. And yes, you’re so right – we just made sugar cookies around here (Christmas tradition) and you’ve got to let the dough chill for ages. Shortbread comes together so fast. In fact, I’ve literally made it in a terrible little oven with a class full of kindergartners – so it can be done anywhere.
I think that we need to find a way to make #cookiedownload happen. That would be the most magical thing ever. I love the idea of just beaming a cookie out of my phone when the Christmas grumps set in. Especially that parking lot scenario.
I love your good news and bad news about the recipe calories. If I’m going to be consuming tons of cookie calories, this is definitely the kind of cookie I would love to spend it on. Shortbread cookies own my heart, and additionally, hazelnuts are my favorite nuts. These cookies are my new favorite shortbread cookie variation to make!
We can dream, can’t we? Gotta get that physics-defying food synthesize from Star Trek going. Ideally a mobile version (for the parking lot scenario). Glad the nutritional info was useful to you – I never want to shame or scare anyone off from making treats, but I think it’s good to be realistic about them. And things like frosting or icing often add a LOT of calories that you might not actually need or want, so I like to approach my desserts thoughtfully.
I totally agree that shortbread is cookie magic and fully believe it can fix all problems!! I love making different versions of it, but have never tried a chocolate hazelnut version… That needs to change immediately! This is too delicious to resist!
Cookie magic to the rescue! Glad you like it. Enjoy!
Well, I think your first sentence is a winner. It says it all!! And right now I could use one of your shortbread cookies. I haven’t shopped yet. I don’t have my Christmas cards addressed. I’ve got so much to do that I need to clone myself just to get it done. But I would take the time to enjoy when of your cookies and perhaps enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. I’d better stick to tea – I don’t need the caffeine in the coffee to wire me up any more than I already am. And I’m Italian, I love hazelnuts and chocolate!! The shortbread cookie would be a real treat for me.
Hah, why thank you Marisa! I hear you on that clone… boy, wouldn’t that be nice? I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have never baked shortbread cookies before. I can imagine myself with a cup of tea, a cookie (or2!) and a good book during the holidays. So, now the image is in my brain and I have to bake those lovely hazelnut and chocolate delish ! On my to-do list of the holidays!
I hope you will – they’re so wonderfully simple and tasty! And that little vignette you mentioned – cookies, tea, and a book? Well that’s exactly what these are perfect for. Have fun with them, and enjoy!
Now…I’m no scholar, but “I love shortbread.” is worthy of the highest literary honours. Where else have you read words so true, words so relatable, words that say so much…with so little.
And can we please make #cookiedownload a thing? Or at the very least, could you fly down to Toronto and drop off a fresh batch of these cookies for me?? (Honestly, I do really think it’s the very least you can do. :D)
I love your opening sentence because I feel the same way! Shortbread ya always been one of my favourites, and you are so right that it is great to experiment with! These cookies look lovely and I would not be opposed to them showing up at my door 😉 The part about you wanting to bring them to hand out at the mall made me laugh!
Combining all my favourites with this cookie. Chocolate and hazelnut + shortbread, wow. Can’t wait to try this out.
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I’ve read all of the comments but it appears that not a single one of the commentators actually tried the recipe before submitting a comment. I like a little more recipe testing feedback before I invest my time and butter in a new recipe, but I suppose I shouldn’t expect someone else to be the guinea pig when I won’t do it!
Hello Krista. I understand that on many websites the comment section is a necessary stopping point to determine whether or not a recipe works, but let me reassure you that I test my own recipes quite thoroughly. The simple truth is that most people who try a recipe do not stop to comment on it.
Buttery and delicious! Taste even better after a few days and the flavours fully developed! Thanks for the recipe
Can you roll the dough into a log, chill, and slice them to create the rounds as well?
Hi Ingrid! I haven’t actually tried it, but I think it would work quite well thanks to the butter content. You will need to make sure you use a very sharp knife (or a something like a wire cheese cutter).
Sean, you have some of the very best recipes, and like others I enjoy your wee stories as well. Can’t say that about very many recipe sites. 😉
I’ve made this two Christmases in a row—2022 will be the third year. It’s SO good. I’ve always loved shortbread and this one is absolutely divine. I guess I’ll share. Ha! C’mon! Your magic combo of shortbread/chocolate/hazelnuts is phenomenal.
GREAT idea! Thank you so very much, dear friend.
I might go crazy this year and give your PIstachio/White Chocolate/Cranberry cookies a shot this year, because they do sound positively YUM. 🎉
Here’s wishing you and yours a most joyous, peaceful, and Happy Christmas and a very Merry New Year! 🙂 Cheers! 🍻 Slàinte Mhaith! ☘️